Onion skinning machine

ABSTRACT

Onions, which are to be skinned, are carried by an endless conveyor past two swinging arms successively. Each arm carries a knife blade at its free end; and as an onion passes the first arm the onion swings the arm about its pivot so that as the onion is conveyed past the knife blade, the blade cuts a slit in the skin of the onion around one half of the circumference of the onion. Then as the onion passes the second arm, the second knife blade slits the skin of the onion around the rest of the onion&#39;&#39;s circumference. The onions then drop one after another into pockets of a rotating timer member which delivers the onions successively into cans in which the skins are completely removed from the onions. There are a plurality of these cans, each open at top and bottom. They are mounted on a rotatable table which in its rotation carries the cans successively into registry under the pockets in the rotating timer so that as each can rotates into registry with a pocket in the timer it receives an onion therefrom. Associated with each can and just below the bottom thereof is a rotatable disc. Associated with each can also is a nozzle. Compressed air is supplied to these nozzles at one or more points during a revolution of the table. The rotation of the associated disc and the pressure of the air from the associated nozzle tumbles the onions around in the cans and strips the skin from them. When a can arrives, in the rotation of the table, at a discharge station it is swung off the top of the table; and the skinned onion drops out of it.

United States Patent [191 Boyer [451 Jan. 21, 1975 ONION SKINNING MACHINE [76] Inventor: Emanuel F. Boyer, 4826 Oak Orchard Rd., Albion, NY. 14411 221 Filed: June 11, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 368,858

[52] U.S. Cl. 99/516, 99/584 [51] Int. Cl A23n 7/00 [58] Field of Search 99/486, 515, 516, 519,

Primary Examiner-John W. Huckert Assistant Examiner-Stuart S. Levy Attorney, Agent, or FirmShlesinger, Fitzsimmons & Shlesinger [57] ABSTRACT Onions, which are to be skinned, are carried by an endless conveyor past two swinging arms successively.

Each arm carries a knife blade at its free end; and as an onion passes the first arm the onion swings the arm about its pivot so that as the onion is conveyed past the knife blade, the blade cuts a slit in the skin of the onion around one half of the circumference of the onion. Then as the onion passes the second arm, the second knife blade slits the skin of the onion around the rest of the onions circumference. The onions then drop one after another into pockets of a rotating timer member which delivers the onions successively into cans in which the skins are completely removed from the onions. There are a plurality of these cans, each open at top and bottom. They are mounted on a rotatable table which in its rotation carries the cans successively into registry under the pockets in the rotating timer so that as each can rotates into registry with a pocket in the timer it receives an onion therefrom. Associated with each can and just below the bottom thereof is a rotatable disc. Associated with each can also is a nozzle. Compressed air is supplied to these nozzles at one or more points during a revolution of.

the table. The rotation of the associated disc and the pressure of the air from the associated nozzle tumbles the onions around in the cans and strips the skin from them. When a can arrives, in the rotation of the table, at a discharge station it is swung off the top of the table; and the skinned onion drops out of it.

7 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTED JAN 21 I975 SHEET 0F 4 ONION SKINNING MACHINE The present invention relates to apparatus for skinning onions.

Through machinery, which has been provided for that purpose, the slicing of onions for canning has been automated; but before onions can be sliced for canning, they must be skinned. Heretofore, no satisfactory machinery has been provided for this purpose. Hitherto the onions have been soaked in a caustic solution to remove their skins, or they have been passed under abrasive wheels to rub off the skins. Both these processes are slow, hazardous, and dirty. Both require aftertreatment of the onions, after the skins have been removed, before the onions can be sliced.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a machine for automatically peeling the skins from onions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine for this purpose, which will be fast in operation, and relatively inexpensive.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparaside plates 108, 110 of the frames. The pulleys or sprockets 104 are secured to the shaft 112 which is also journaled in the side plates 108, 110 and in parallelism with shaft 106. i

The onions 0 are delivered onto the conveyor 100, and are carried along by pushers 114 which are carried by the conveyor belt or by links of the chain (if it is a chain conveyor).

Pivotally mounted on blocks 116 and 118, respec tively, that are secured to side rails 108 and 110, respectively, in positions to extend over the upper reach of the conveyor 100 at points spaced longitudinally from one another therealong are two arms 120, 122, respectively. Each arm carries a knife or razor blade 124 at its free end; and each arm is normally held by a spring 126 so that the arm and the blade carried thereby are perpendicular to the path of travel of the upper reach of the conveyor. Each spring 126 is secured at one end to the associated arm 120 or 122 and at its other end to the associated block 116 or 118. Guide or retaining rails 128, 130 are secured above the side rails 108 to prevent onions on the conveyor 100 100 is driven from shaft 170, and a pulley 180 which is fastened to shaft 112.

The wheel 152 has a plurality of equi-angularly spaced peripheral pockets 182 in it, each of which is adapted to receive an onion from the conveyor 150. The wheel is driven from a motor 14 (FIGS. 4 and 5) through a conventional gear reducer 18, a shaft 16, a sprocket or pulley 20 on shaft 16, a chain or belt 22, a sprocket or a pulley 183, a belt 184, and a pulley 186 (FIG. 1) which is fastened to a shaft 188, that is journaled in the frame of the machine and to which the wheel 152 is secured. The wheel 152 rotates above a tray 190 over which the onions are carried by the rotating wheel to be delivered into the cans 42 in which their skins are removed.

The frame of the machine has a shelf 12 (FIG. 4) on it which extends between opposed legs of the frame. The motor 14 is mounted on this shelf. Besides shaft 188, motor 14 drives a shaft 26 (FIG. 4) to which there is fastened a hub 28 on which there is secured an annular manifold 30. The manifold supports a table 34, which has an annular skirt 36 (FIG. 4). Secured in the table by nuts 38 are a plurality of vertically extending rods 40. Each rod has a container or can 42 (FIGS. 4 and 5) welded to it; each rod has an arm 44 welded to it below the can.

Each can is open-ended, open at top and bottom. Associated with each can, and disposed in spaced relation at a slight distance below the bottom of the can, is a rotatable disc 46 (FIG. 4).

The discs 46 are driven from a motor 50 through the armature shaft 52 of the motor, a pulley 54 carried by that shaft, and a belt 56, which engages that pulley, and the pulleys 58, one of which is secured to each of the shafts 48 to drive the same.

Each shaft 48 is journaled in bearings 49 secured beneath the table 34, and in a bearing 51 fastened on top of the table. Each bearing 51 is disposed between the associated disc 46 and the hub 55 of that disc.

Each can or container 42 is normally held in position over and registering with the associated disc 46 by a spring 60, one end of which is attached to the associated arm 44, and the other end of which is secured to the associated bearing block 51.

Each of the cans or containers 42 has an aperture 64 (FIGS. 4 and 6) through it near its bottom; and positioned to register with each aperture is the nozzle end 66 (FIG. 5) of a right-angular pipe 68, which is secured in the table. Each pipe 68 communicates with the plenum or manifold 30 through a normally-closed valve 69, a pipe 71, and an aperture 73 in the manifold. Compressed air from any suitable source is supplied to this manifold 30 to pass therefrom into the several pipes 69.

The table 34 is rotated continuously counterclockwise during operation of the machine. As the table revolves, rollers 76 carried by each of the valves 69 ride up on earns 78 mounted on the top 15 of the frame in selected angular position about shaft 16. When this happens the associated valve 69 opens and a blast of air is shot into the associated can 42. This blast or blasts, in conjunction with the action of the rotating discs 46, strips the skin off the onion in a can.

The discs 46 also rotate continuously except when each can is at the loading station. Then its pulley 58 rides clear of the drive belt 56 as shown in FIG. 5 in the case of the can 42 at the upper right-hand corner of the table. Thus each can will be stationary during loading.

There may be as many cams 78 as valves 69 to operate the valves 69, but it has been found in practice that one or two blasts of air in conjunction with the tossing produced by the rotating disc is sufficient to skin an onion. Therefore, only one or two earns 78 are ordinarily mounted on table top 15.

In use, onions, which are to be skinned, are placed on the conveyor (FIGS. 1 and 2) after being topped. Topping may be effected in apparatus such as disclosed in my US. Pat. No. 2,961,023, granted Nov. 22, 1960. Such apparatus may form part of a line of machinery of which the apparatus of the present application forms a succeeding part.

The skins of the topped onions are slit by the knives 124 as they are carried by the conveyor I00 past these knives.

From conveyor 100 the onions pass over plates 148 to conveyor 150 which delivers them into the pockets 182 of wheel 152. The wheel carries them over tray and drops them one after another into successive cans 42 (FIGS. 4 to 7). Each onion falls on top of the disc 46 associated with a container; and the onion in the can is whirled around in the can by the rotating disc. When the valve 69 associated with a can is opened by a cam 78, a blast of compressed air from the associated nozzle 66 subjects the onion to tangential air pressure and strips the skin from the onion. Thus, while table 34 is conveying the several discs and their associated cans from the loading station to a discharge station the onions carried in the cans are skinned.

At the discharge station (shown at the center right in FIG. 5), the lever arm 44 associated with each can or container strikes a rod 70 which is secured to the table top 15 and projects upwardly therefrom. Contact of arms 44 with the rod 70 causes each can 42 successively to be swung out of registry with its associated disc 46, to the position shown in FIG. 6 and at the right center in FIG. 5. The associated disc, therefore, will no longer hold the onions in the can; and the now-skinned onions drop out of the can onto a conveyor or into a basket, or the like, to be taken to a slicing machine, such as shown, for instance in my US. Pat. No. 3,722,339, granted Mar. 27, 1973, to prepare them for canning.

The machine of my US. Pat. No. 3,722,339 may form with the onion trimmers of my US. Pat. No. 2,961,023 and with the apparatus of the present invention part of a complete line of machinery capable of automatically preparing an onion for canning without touch of human hands.

As the table 34 continues to revolve, the lever arm 44 associated with a respective can 42 will rock clear of the rod 70, and the spring 60 associated with that arm will snap the can back into registry with the associated disc 46 so that an unpeeled onion can be dropped into the can when the can again registers with a pocket of wheel 152.

The wheel 152 acts as a timer. It has eight pockets, one for each of the eight cans 42 in the embodiment shown. It insures that the delivery apparatus will keep in proper time with the rotation of the table which carries the cans.

A stop 72, (FIGS. 5 and 6), which is arcuately curved and which is welded or otherwise secured to table 34, is associated with each can. Each stop has a sheet 74 of cushioning material secured to its inner surface so that when a can is swung back into registry with its associated disc its return will be cushioned.

Compressed air may be supplied to the manifold through a hose or conduit connected to the nose 75 (FIG. 4) of a pressure gauge 77 which has an indicator dial 79 for reading the pressure. The pressure gauge is mounted centrally of the table 34 and is connected through the pipe 81 to the manifold 30. A sleeve or nipple 83 on the table 34 serves to mount the pressure gauge. The pressure in the manifold can be adjusted by rotating the knob 85 to adjust a control valve (not shown) in the instrument.

While the invention has been described in connection with a specific embodiment thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of further modification, and this application is intended to cover any embodiments of the invention that come within the scope of the invention, or the recital of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A machine for skinning onions comprising a support,

a plurality of containers movably mounted on said support in spaced relation,

each of which is open at top and bottom means for moving said support to move said containers successively from a load station, at which onions may be loaded into successive containers, to a discharge station at which onions are discharged from the several containers successively,

a plate disposed adjacent the bottom of each container, means for moving each plate during movement of said support to effect tossing and whirling of the onions around in the associated container, and

means operative when each container arrives at the discharge station to swing the container out of registry with the associated plate to discharge onions from the container.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the containers are cylindrical, and said plates are circular discs, said support is a rotary table, and the means for moving said support effects rotation of the table around its rotary axis to move the containers successively from the load station to the discharge station.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein said swing means comprises pivotally mounting said container for swinging about an axis parallel to the axis of said table, when the container reaches the discharge station.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein spring means constantly urges each container to a position of registry with its associated disc, and means is provided on the table for cushioning the return of each container to such registering position after the onions therein have been discharged from the container at the discharge station.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein auxilary means is provided for augmenting the tossing and whirling of the onions in each container during movement of said support said auxilary means being an air stream directed tangentially into each container through an aperture in the container.

6. A machine for skinning onions comprising a rotary table,

a plurality of cylindrical containers pivotally mounted on said table for swinging movement about an axis parallel to the axis of said table,

each container being open both at top and bottom,

a rotatable disc mounted on the table adjacent the bottom of each container for rotation independent of the rotation of the table,

means for rotating the table to move the containers from a load station around to a discharge station,

means for simultaneously rotating the discs,

each container having a port in it,

means associated with each container for supplying a stream of air through its port into the container during rotation of the table,

a rod fixed relative to said table,

an arm secured to each container in position to engage said rod when the container approaches the load station to swing the container out of registry with its disc to discharge onions from the container,

spring means for returning each container into registry with its associated disc when the container has passed the discharge station, and

cushioning means associated with each container to cushion its return movement.

7. Apparatus for skinning onions comprising an endless conveyor,

means for actuating said conveyor,

a rotatable wheel juxtaposed to one end of said conveyor and having a plurality of pockets therein each adapted to receive an onion from said conveyor,

a pair of knives mounted at opposite sides of said conveyor in position to slit the skins of onions as the onions are carried past said knives by said conveyor,

a table rotatable about an axis offset from but parallel to the axis of said wheel,

means for rotating said wheel and table in timed relation,

a plurality of containers mounted on said table and disposed in the rotation of said table to register successively with said pockets, successively to receive onions from said pockets,

means associated with each container for twirling an onion around in a container as the container is carried around by said table, and

means associated with each container for supplying a stream of air through a port in the container during the rotation of said table to effect skinning of the onion in the container. 

1. A machine for skinning onions comprising a support, a plurality of containers movably mounted on said support in spaced relation, each of which is open at top and bottom means for moving said support to move said containers successively from a load station, at which onions may be loaded into successive containers, to a discharge station at which onions are discharged from the several containers successively, a plate disposed adjacent the bottom of each container, means for moving each plate during movement of said support to effect tossing and whirling of the onions around in the associated container, and means operative when each container arrives at the discharge station to swing the container out of registry with the associated plate to discharge onions from the container.
 2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the containers are cylindrical, and said plates are circular discs, said support is a rotary table, and the means for moving said support effects rotation of the table around its rotary axis to move the containers successively from the load station to the discharge station.
 3. A machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein said swing means comprises pivotally mounting said container for swinging about an axis parallel to the axis of said table, when the container reaches the discharge station.
 4. A machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein spring means constantly urges each container to a position of registry with its associated disc, and means is provided on the table for cushioning the return of each container to such registering position after the onions therein have been discharged from the container at the discharge station.
 5. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein auxilary means is provided for augmenting the tossing and whirling of the onions in each container during movement of said support said auxilary means being an air stream directed tangentially into each container through an aperture in the container.
 6. A machine for skinning onions comprising a rotary table, a plurality of cylindrical containers pivotally mounted on said table for swinging movement about an axis parallel to the axis of said table, each container being open both at top and bottom, a rotatable disc mounted on the table adjacent the bottom of each container for rotation independent of the rotation of the table, means for rotating the table to move the containers from a load station around to a discharge station, means for simultaneously rotating the discs, each container having a port in it, means associated with each container for supplying a stream of air through its port into the container during rotation of the table, a rod fixed relative to said table, an arm secured to each container in position to engage said rod when the container approaches the load station to swing the container out of registry with its disc to discharge onions from the container, spring means for returning each container into registry with its associated disc when the container has passed the discharge station, and cushioning means associated with each container to cushion its return movement.
 7. Apparatus for skinning onions comprising an endless conveyor, means for actuating said conveyor, a rotatable wheel juxtaposed to one end of said conveyor and having a plurality of pockets therein each adapted to receive an onion from said conveyOr, a pair of knives mounted at opposite sides of said conveyor in position to slit the skins of onions as the onions are carried past said knives by said conveyor, a table rotatable about an axis offset from but parallel to the axis of said wheel, means for rotating said wheel and table in timed relation, a plurality of containers mounted on said table and disposed in the rotation of said table to register successively with said pockets, successively to receive onions from said pockets, means associated with each container for twirling an onion around in a container as the container is carried around by said table, and means associated with each container for supplying a stream of air through a port in the container during the rotation of said table to effect skinning of the onion in the container. 